On Tuesday October 24th, our generous supporters came together at HOTA on the Gold Coast for the ‘Everything Is Possible’ end of year thank you celebration.

It was a wonderful night shared with donors, volunteers, suppliers, partners, ambassadors and stakeholders. We gathered because of a shared goal – to cure paralysis for all. 

We were honored to have a special Guest speaker this year – Sam Bloom who is a woman with an extraordinary story to share. She suffered a devastating accident while on holiday with her young family in Thailand and was left paralysed from the chest down. Deeply depressed and faced with the possibility of never walking again, a chance encounter with an injured magpie chick, that the family dubbed “Penguin Bloom”, was to change her attitude, her recovery, and her life. Now a three-time World Para Surfing champion, bestselling author, and the inspiration behind the #1 box-office hit movie Penguin Bloom starring Naomi Watts, she’s an incredible example of the extraordinary things we can all achieve in the face of adversity. 

Everyone in attendance was moved by Sam’s honesty and authenticity – it was a very special evening.

Thank you to our presenters; Tom Ray, Professor James St John from Griffith University, Perry Cross and of course Sam Bloom.

Special thanks to our event sponsors CareMatch, Cross Carpets and Griffith University.